They were a diverse group, young and not-so-young, married, single and widowed from Australia, China, Germany, Finland and Canada.

There were medical specialists, entrepreneurs, executives and business owners.

As different as their lives and homes were, they shared two loves — travel and Porsches.

The chance to combine the two brought them to Porsche Tour Canada 150. Developed to experience part of the cultural mosaic that is Canada, from its biggest city to a remote lodge on a slip of land jutting into the Atlantic, it wound through four provinces over 10 days.

Participants enjoyed more than 3,000 kilometres of fun at the wheel, awesome scenery, exceptional cuisine, first-class accommodations and camaraderie.

They had never met before joining the tour in Toronto, but by the time they departed from Halifax 10 days later, a number of memories and lifelong friendships had been created.

The Porsche Driving Experience is an umbrella idea that covers performance and winter-driving programs as well as unique tours at a variety of locations around the globe.

I was fortunate enough to join this one as it meandered from Toronto through Quebec and all three Maritime provinces. I learned that everyone in the group had travelled extensively and most had participated in a number of Porsche Driving Experience Tours like this on several continents.

I came to think of it as a guided tour, much as you would one on a bus or in a port while on a cruise. Except this one is unique not only in nature but numbers.

Instead of being driven around, you do the driving. Instead of a large group led by a guide holding a flag and a bullhorn, you follow a professional race driver speaking to you through a walkie talkie resting in a cupholder.

You won’t miss the loss of that cup holder because, as a driver you will be too busy doing what Porsches are meant for — driving quickly. The passenger won’t miss it either, as they will be wrapped up in the scenery, as the tour is carefully devised to use secondary roads where driving conditions for enthusiasts and scenery are at their best.

The vehicle used for this tour was the 420-horsepower, 911 Carrera 4S, equipped to the $160,000 range. There was ample opportunity to enjoy that power and the car’s prowess on twisty back roads.

Communication between vehicles via those walkie talkies is ongoing, and the banter among participants is frequently informative and always entertaining.

The group is kept intact between the lead and sweep cars with the former setting a pace according to conditions, and comfort level and the latter ensuring nobody gets lost. There are frequent rest stops and driver changes.

At the end of the day, the group pulls into a high-end hotel where they are given a chance to freshen up before a world-class dinner, either on the premises or within walking distance.

The experiences of the day — and others — are recounted as the evening wears on — but not too late, because it’s up and on the road for another adventure in the morning.

The Porsche Driving Experience is not inexpensive. But neither are excellence and exclusivity. Pricing varies for each program, this one cost $11,995 for nine nights and 10 days of first class meals, accommodations and of course the experience of driving a Porsche in a part of the world you would not normally experience.

If that price seems steep, consider that for most of the occupants, this was the second, third and even fourth time they had participated. The others were all planning their next Porsche Driving Experience.

If you don’t enjoy spirited driving, preferring instead to be driven, the Porsche Driving Experience is not for you. But if you have the driving gene and want a unique set of memories you will talk abut for years check out http://porschedrivingexperiencecanada.ca/en/

You don’t have to own a Porsche to participate — but you will probably be shopping for one when you get back home.